AB 347: Pupil instruction: animal dissection.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law authorizes a pupil with a moral objection to dissecting or otherwise harming or destroying an animal to refrain from participation in an educational project that involves the harmful or destructive use of animals. Existing law authorizes, if the pupil chooses to refrain and a teacher believes that an adequate alternative education project is possible, the teacher to work with the pupil to develop and agree upon an alternative education project in order to obtain the knowledge, information, or experience required by the course of study in question. Existing law requires each teacher teaching a course that uses live or dead animals or animal parts to inform the pupils of their rights pursuant to these provisions. Existing law applies these provisions to all levels of instruction in all public schools operating programs in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.

Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish and implement a system of complaint processing, known as the Uniform Complaint Procedures, for specified educational programs.

This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, if a pupil chooses to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals, would require a teacher to provide an alternative assignment or assessment. The bill would prohibit a pupil’s grades from being impacted as a means of penalizing the pupil for exercising their rights concerning the dissection of animals. The bill would require a teacher to provide, at a pupil’s request, any sourcing information provided by the vendor or provider of the animals and information about the chemicals used to preserve the animals for dissection to which the pupil may be exposed. The bill would require a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, to provide written notice of the pupils’ rights that includes specified information, including, among other things, the above-described rights and the complaint procedures described below. The bill would require, by the start of the 2026–27 school year, the State Department of Education to develop a template that a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, would be authorized to use to provide this written notice and to make the template available on its internet website. The bill would apply the above-described provisions to all public schools operating programs in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, including, but not limited to, public schools operated by school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, or state special schools, to the extent that the public school chooses to offer a course of study that uses live or dead animals or animal parts for purposes of dissection. The bill would encourage, by July 1, 2028, public schools to explore using effective alternative methods in lieu of using live or dead animals or animal parts for dissection in a course of study, except as provided. The bill would require, commencing July 1, 2026, the Uniform Complaint Procedures to apply to pupils’ rights to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals and to choose an alternative assignment or assessment.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. August 29, 2025In committee: Held under submission.
2. July 14, 2025In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
3. July 2, 2025From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 2). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
4. June 11, 2025Referred to Com. on ED.
5. June 3, 2025In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
6. June 2, 2025Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 68. Noes 3. Page 1928.)
7. May 27, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
8. May 23, 2025From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (May 23).
9. April 9, 2025In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
10. March 19, 2025Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
11. March 18, 2025Read second time and amended.
12. March 17, 2025From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (March 12).